Potent spring snowstorm in Wyoming, Colorado closes I-80

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A potent spring snowstorm has closed a 250-mile stretch of Interstate 80 in Wyoming. The Wyoming Department of Transportation doesn’t expect the road between Cheyenne and Rock Springs to open any time soon as steady snow continues to fall across much of Wyoming and Colorado.

Hardest hit are Cheyenne and the Colorado Front Range area from Boulder to Fort Collins, though I-25 remains open.

Snow is especially heavy in the the mountains, with some areas getting a foot or more. The heaviest snow amounts predicted with this storm are forecast along the I-80 Corridor from the southern Nebraska Panhandle to Elk Mountain.

Winter Storm Warnings and Winter Weather Advisories remain in effect through 6 p.m., on Thursday evening.  The National Weather Service expects an additional 3 to 6 inches of snow accumulation before tapering off later Thursday afternoon. Significant windchill of 5 to 15 below zero are expected over southeast Wyoming.

Temperatures are expected to gradually warm in the area as the weekend approaches.